Helen House
Helen House was the world's first children's hospice, opening in November 1982. It sprang from the friendship between Sister Frances Dominica and the parents of a seriously ill little girl called Helen who lived at home with her family but required 24 hour care.
Helen’s family’s experience highlighted the need for respite care and support for children with life-shortening conditions and so Helen House was set up to help families cope by providing occasional respite care modelled on that provided in the family home - personalised and tailored to individual needs.
Douglas House
With improvements in medical care, children and young adults with life-shortening conditions are in some instances living longer than ever before.
A children's hospice environment is unlikely to be suitable for someone who's 16 or over, but neither is an adult hospice, which is why Douglas House, the world's first hospice specifically for young adults, was opened in February 2004.
Douglas House provides a young person with the time to do the things they like to do with the support of the nursing and care team.
You can read more about Helen & Douglas House here.
